Month: June 2014

Asbury Park Tree Planting with American Forests

Lisa Simms Benefits of Trees, Good Landscaping, Tree Care, Urban Tolerant Trees, Volunteers

This fall the NJ Tree Foundation, in partnership with American Forests and Asbury Park,  will plant street trees in the city. Over 100 trees are available for planting between the curb and sidewalk. Each tree will be 12-14 tall. Only small growing, ornamental trees will be planted under utility wires.

American Forests, the oldest national conservation non-profit in the country, has contracted with the NJ Tree Foundation to plant street trees in Asbury Park under their Global ReLeaf Program.  There are MANY social and environmental benefits to planting trees!

Benefits of trees:
Trees provide clean oxygen and naturally filter water.
Trees increase property the value by 5 – 17%.
An increase in urban vegetation reduces crime rates!
Trees reduce temperatures in cities by up to 10°F.
Time spent near trees reduces stress!
 
If you would like a free 12-14 foot tree, planted in the space between the curb & sidewalk, please send your name, address and email address to: njtf1@juno.com, or call 505-609-8032 and leave the above information on voice mail. Please tell us if there are overhead utility wires on your side of the street. If you are a renter, please ask your landlord if a tree may be planted at your home. 
AF Logo

Camden’s Fruit Tree Farmers

Beth Kwart Just for Fun, Success Stories

On June 12th, the NJ Tree Foundation and 32 Camden residents gathered at Bridge of Peace Church for the first-ever Fruit Tree Farmer workshop held in the City of Camden! At this session, made possible by the Campbell Soup Foundation, farmers learned how to properly hand-thin, stake, prune, harvest, and prevent problems with their fruit trees. In addition, Fruit Tree Farmers mingled, shared stories from their gardens, and went home with lots of amazing give-aways, tools, and educational materials.

photo-48CSF_LogoWith support from the Campbell Soup Foundation, we will have planted 50 fruit trees in Camden in 2013-2014. Species planted have included serviceberries, peaches, apples, pears, plums, nectarines, figs, persimmons, and crabapples. Thank you to the Camden City Garden Club for connecting us to incredible farmers and to MAFCO and United Water Camden for donating mulch and offloading services at fruit tree plantings.

Spring Tree Planting Successes

Beth Kwart Uncategorized

From volunteer tree plantings to contract work, the NJTF worked with dozens of amazing partners to plant “the right tree for the right place” in NJ cities and towns. Check out the accomplishments of our three largest programs:

phone pix 682Green Streets, a fee-for-service re-entry program providing work for men in transition, planted 406 trees in Haworth, Red Bank, Liberty State Park, Glen Rock, Bergenfield, Metuchen, Asbury Park, Bound Brook, Seer Farm, Vineland, Montclair, Bloomfield, and Newark. Among these plantings was an exciting event in Presby Iris Gardens with the NJ Devils and a “Pass the Shovel” ceremony with the SuperBowl Host Committee.

10277055_10152479156118273_6556965790406886440_n-2The Camden Urban Airshed Reforestation Program, a community-based street tree planting program, planted 116 trees at six events with help from 347 volunteers. Partners included Acelero Learning Center, Harry Sharp School, Joseph’s House, the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, the Center for Environmental Transformation, Capital Academy, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Thanks to United Water Camden and MAFCO for donating offloading services and mulch.

IMG_3142The Newark Renaissance Trees Program, also a neighborhood-based street tree program, planted 117 trees at five planting events with help from 275 volunteers. Partners included Newark Science and Sustainability, the Pedal Farm, Green Revolution, the Forest Hill Community Association, Oliver Street School, and Garden Street residents. Special thanks to Newark’s Department of Sanitation for assisting with tree off-loading and clean up, and to Tree Tech Inc. for grinding out old stumps.

These tree plantings were made possible with the generous support of American Forests, Calpine, Campbell Soup Foundation, Community Foundation of South Jersey, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, NJ Devils & PwC, Rutgers Water Resources Program, TD Charitable Foundation, USDA – US Forest Service, and the Victoria Foundation. Want to help plant trees? Please consider making a tax deductible donation to help reforest NJ in the fall. 

Call for Burlington County Fall Projects

Beth Kwart Uncategorized

1391825_10152046503083273_390712233_nThe NJ Tree Foundation, with support from a corporate sponsor, is accepting applications for fall tree planting projects in Burlington County, NJ. Do you know of a park, community space, or planting strip in Burlington County in need of 10-15 beautiful trees? Are you eager to organize your neighbors and town officials to plant trees where you live, work, or play? Great! Before applying, there are a few things you should know.

Only one project can be selected. That project will receive 10-15 free 2-2.5″ caliper trees, planted by-hand with community volunteers and staff from the NJ Tree Foundation in the fall of 2014. A mid-late September planting date is preferred. Your town or community group will be responsible for maintaining the trees (weeding, watering, mulching, protecting) for a minimum of two years. Additional project criteria can be found in the application. Please read and fill it out thoroughly.

Download the Burlington Co. Tree Application.

Applications are due by Friday, June 20th at 5PM to Jessica Franzini via fax at (856) 422-2601, email at jfranzini.njtf@gmail.com, or postal mail at PO Box 1221, Camden, NJ 08105. Questions can be directed to Jessica at (856) 287-4488 or jfranzini.njtf@gmail.com.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Cherry Hill to Support Camden Trees in June

Beth Kwart Fundraising, Success Stories

tree2The NJ Tree Foundation (NJTF) is proud to announce that our friends at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Cherry Hill (UUCCH) will be supporting our tree planting efforts in Camden through a split-plate donation program this June! At every UUCCH service this month, offerings made by members will be split with NJTF to support the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program, which plants “the right tree for the right place” along inner-city streets of Camden with the help of residents and volunteers. In addition to planting trees, this generous donation will also help fund our educational workshops, including Fruit Tree Farmers and Camden TreeKeepers.

The UUCCH’s commitment to the mission of the NJ Tree Foundation goes back more than 5 years! Every spring and fall, volunteers from the UUCCH attend our community tree plantings to dig holes, plant trees, lay mulch, and see the transformation of city streets first-hand. The UUCCH, along with NJTF, sees the value in bringing nature back into urban communities. We are so thankful to them for selecting us as the June split-plate donation organization!

Tree_Planting_COW_2013The UUCCH is a liberal-religious congregation seeking truth, meaning, and justice in a loving and diverse spiritual community. To learn more about Unitarian Universalism or the church itself, please visit the UUCCH’s website. Open mass is held every Sunday at 10:15am at 401 N. Kings Highway in Cherry Hill, NJ and visitors are welcome!

Update: The UUCCH generously donated nearly $1,500 to the NJ Tree Foundation during their June split-plate collection program. We are extremely honored to have been chosen as their June cause and extend a sincere thanks to UUCCH and its members for your support!